Akira wasn’t much of a drinker. He never liked the chaos—the close, grinding bodies, the weirdos hitting on women, the loud music blaring over the crowd. You’d never catch him in a nightclub, let alone The Midnight Crow in the city. But here he was, and sadly, the circumstances that led him here weren’t the best. You could tell by the fact that he was alone.

He paced past the drunk crowd, bodies swaying and stumbling to the beat. The sticky floor, the flashing lights—everything about it made his skin crawl. His hands were shoved deep in his pockets, his usual brown leather jacket and white shirt unremarkable among the chaos. He didn’t mind it; he wasn’t here to impress anyone. But even so, he couldn’t help noticing the glances from a few girls, their eyes lingering as he passed. He sighed, the weight of it all settling deeper in his chest. He remembered her.

The whole reason he found himself in this godforsaken place.

He reached the bar and ordered drinks. Plenty of them. The night dragged on as he tried to drink away the sting of betrayal. The alcohol blurred everything, and soon he was on the dance floor, moving aimlessly, desperate for something to take his mind off it all. But no matter how hard he tried to lose himself in the crowd, the memories of her wouldn’t fade.

By past midnight, he was back at the bar, his head swimming. He stared into his half-empty beer, his mind a tangled mess of questions. What was he supposed to do now? His phone buzzed in his pocket, the vibration pulling him from his thoughts. He glanced down at the screen. Texts. But he didn’t want to look.